Cycles aren't Parallel
by Rionarch
Summary: ObitoKakashiRin. JiraiyaOrochimaruTsunade. Naruto just didn't want to fit in this time, but Sasuke and Sakure dived right in.


Naruto really didn't know what to think at that point. People had often mentioned that He, Sasuke, and Sakura were like Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade or those who really knew Kakashi said Obito, Kakashi himself and Rin. They were mentors, students, and even relatives of each other so who wouldn't think that?

But they weren't the same. Naruto wasn't Obito he could handle himself and still save others without the cost of his life. So they both liked orange, that's not enough to compare them, he thinks.

Sasuke wasn't Kakashi. He was proud of every member of his family, including Itachi but the hate showed a lot more. Sasuke would never let himself be driven to depression that badly, or at least Naruto thinks so.

Sakura defiantly wasn't Rin. Sure they both had crushes but Rin was too mild too…boring. Even before her training with Baa-chan Sakura always had this inner rage that she'd scream to the world. Sakura could never just fade away like Rin did.

But few people really knew about Kakashi's team so that comparison didn't happen often. Now though, all these parallels were racing through Naruto's head as his own team fought against each other. Even though he is and always will the _dobe_ sometimes he thinks Sakura and Sasuke listened to other people way too much. They aren't Tsunade and Orochimaru damn it. And he isn't Jiraiya, nor will he ever be.

No one was sure how exactly this fight started, but Naruto found Sasuke and Sakura found them. Words came and went but he can't remember them. The first thing he did remember from this was Sakura diving in to punch him followed by some sort of long range jutsu from Sasuke and now they waited on him.

He didn't fight. He simply walked away or rather jumped and ran away not giving a damn if they called him a coward or not. Before he left hearing range her heard them both scream at him, how he was running away from what was Final and by not fighting this, they would have lost so much. Ha.

_"I said I'll fight my teammates. I don't know who you are"_

And he didn't, when it came down to it. Sakura loved the color red until she worked in the hospital. No she didn't develop Tsunade's fear of blood just didn't want to make her patients uncomfortable, after all they liked neutral colors in those stark rooms. Now instead of that vibrant red she always wore there are tan and sage traditional clothes. It looked like she was alive 60 years ago when old customs were still valued.

Sasuke… Naruto didn't even know where to begin with him. If he looked back on all the spars he'd ever had with Sasuke, there were flames involved somehow. This hadn't been the only time he and his former teammate met for battles. Given an estimation of about 4 years ago he hadn't seen the fire that Sasuke favored so much. It was all bizarre jutsu like a trappers, which was everything Sasuke wasn't.

Frowning, Naruto continue his way back to Kohona when someone stopped him, or maybe, just maybe he stopped to look at. Kabuto who had been with Orochimaru longer then Sasuke was fixing the injuries of the Sound-nin. Fixing the injuries with no snake insight. Orochimaru didn't train Kabuto, he was his caretaker of sorts. Continuing on he though about himself and Jiraiya.

Naruto knew why he'd never be like Jiraiya, even if he tried. The Ero-sennin gave up wanted to be Hokage, let his friends go their separate ways even though he _knew_ none of them would end up ok in the end, and he lied way too much. Don't get him wrong though, Jiraiya was the closest thing to a father for him and maybe that's why he isn't trying to be him.

In the short time Team Seven had been around, Naruto was always the odd one out. The shortest, the dumbest, the demon container, the one who never changed, the one who refused to forget who he was. Mentors teach their students, and generally you get one that follows you so closely you imitate that persons styles and ways of life, even if you don't want to. Anko doesn't want to follow Orochimaru, but she still uses her snake Jutsu. Lee does mirror Gai an awful lot, but some how it's different for them. Lee likes Gai because he was able to help him in the only way he knew how. Lee doesn't want Gai's life, he wants family less then he wants a rival.

Five minutes after arriving back in Kohona, Naruto spots Shizune who was walking Ton-ton through the streets. She too wore an older kimono, but the glares towards the bars and gambling halls told him enough. Attached to her small and un-muscled arms was her sebon needle launcher, always ready for use.

In the Hokage tower, he filled in his last Active Mission report and walked to Baa-chan's office. He thought about Sakura and how she pushed away all of her would be lovers- afraid the same thing would happen to her as it happened to he teacher. Orochimaru could care less about relationships and families and Sasuke too feel into the idea. The Uchiha clan would only be from Itachi's side then. Jiraiya never had a wife or children but told Naruto that he'd better be getting a wedding invitation for him soon.

And maybe that was the difference, he thought. Sakura and Sasuke wanted to be like their teachers so badly that they became something like shadows. Kabuto and Shizune are loyal to Orochimaru and Baa-chan, but could care less about paralleling their ways.

Obito…Kakashi…Rin

Jiraiya…Orochimaru… Tsunade

Sasuke…Sakura…

_"Ok then"_ Naruto wasn't going to be a part of this cycle. When Baa-chan called him in and talked about when the Hokage ceremony would take place, Naruto smiled widely for two reasons.

He wasn't a liar(he did it), he didn't let them go(He walked away), he made it com true(that'll show them).

and in a little corner of his mind that wasn't fox infested, he wondered when people would start aligning him with Kabuto and Shizune, who were more of friends to the Sannin and knew them far better.

_Orochimaru really missed having the ability to just punch people in the face._

_Tsunade couldn't stop herself from looking through the fashion magazines._

_Jiraiya just wanted to throw a bachelor party. _


End file.
